Mixing apparatus



Dec. 23, 1958 A. W.VGARDNER 2,865,268

MIXING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 8, 1956 39 37 f IIIJII IL unulnulmunvp 1 l-l l- INVENTOR. ADRYL W. GARDNER DES dARDlNw ROBlNSON HIS ATTORNEYS United States MIXING APPARATUS Adryl W. Gardner, Redlands, Calif.

Application October 8, 1956, Serial No. 614,505

8 Claims. (Cl. 94-40) This invention relates to a traveling-plant mixer for use in the construction of roads, airfields, parking areas, etc., where it is desired to pulverize and blend the road building materials and intimately mix them with a liquid stabilizer or hinder to provide a structure having a longer life and a greater load bearing capacity.

It is customary for modern construction specifications to require the introduction of certain specified stabilizers into the basic road materials by use of mixing apparatus. This is most economically effected by in-place mixing of the materials with machines designed especially for this purpose. These machines treat the road building materials in situ and effect the pulverizing, blending and mixing thereof as the machine moves along. Most machines designed for in-place mixing employ a power driven rotor of cylindrical shape and having steel blades or fingers projecting radially therefrom for pulverizing and mixing the materials. These machines also incorporate means for introducing a bituminous or liquid stabilizing or binding constituent, including water in the case of soil cement, to the materials as they are being mixed by the machine. The means for introducing the liquid stabilizers usually comprise spray bars provided with nozzles for producing a spray of the liquid against the outer periphery of the rotor, or onto the material just ahead of the rotor. In all of the mixers of this type with which I am familiar, only a portion of the materials to be stabilized comes into direct contact with the binder spray, Consequently, particles of soil and aggregate not originally coated by the spray, must be coated by coming into contact with the coated particles 4 in the mixing operation, in order that the uncoated particles may pick up some of the stabilizing material through contact with the already coated particles. In existing machines, four passes are normally required in order to achieve what is considered to be a satisfactory mixture. The present invention is designed to produce more effective mixing of the liquid stabilizer with the pulverized soils and aggregates and thereby reduce the number of passes required to effect an intimate mixture of the same and thereby provide effective stabilization of the road building materials.

I propose to achieve this result by flowing a layer of the liquid stabilizer over'the top of the pick-up blade of the mixer. By so doing along the entire length of the blade, a uniform distribution of the stabilizer liquid to the soils and aggregates being mixed and blended is obtained. Also, since the rotor is driven in such a direction as to cause the bottom thereof to move in the same direction as the mixer, the road materials are swept away from the liquid manifold orifice extending along the top of the blade so as not to clog or damage the same.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved type of traveling-plant mixer in which efficient mixing of a liquid binder or stabilizer with the soils and aggregates is effected.

Another object of the invention is to provide means r of suitable cross members (not shown).

2,865,263 Patented Dec. 23, 1958 for flowing a layer of the liquid stabilizer or binder over the pick-up blade of a rotary mixer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid manifold for flowing a layer of the stabilizing liquid over the pick-up blade of a rotary mixer.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of orifice for distributing the liquid contained in the manifold over the upper portion of the blade.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following description, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in the appended claims and a preferred form or embodiment of which will hereinafter be described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a mixing apparatus incorporating my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2. in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters designate similar or identical elements and portions throughout these specifications and throughout the different views of the drawings.

in the present embodiment of the invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawings, the mixing apparatus is supported on a two-wheeled buggy which is adapted to be drawn by a tractor 10 of conventional design. The mixer frame includes a pair of side plates 11 and 12, which are held in spaced relation by means At its rear end, the mixer is provided with suitable bearing supports for a pair of trunnions 13 carried by a pair of triangular frame plates 14 on which the rubber-tired wheels 15 of the apparatus are journaled by means of axle 16.

The mixer may be raised or lowered with respect to the surface of the ground over which it is traveling by means of an hydraulic cylinder 16 connected between the plates 14 and the frame of the mixer.

The mixer is provided with a rotor 20 extending trans versely of the frame between the side plates ill and 12. As best shown in Fig. 2, the rotor is fixed on an axle 2. which is journaled at either end by means of roller bearings 22 supported in the side plates 11 and 12. The rotor is driven by a motor 25 (Fig. I) mounted on top of the mixer and driving a chain 26 which passes around a sprocket 27 secured to one end of the axle 21. The motor 25 also drives a pump 28 which draws the liquid stabilizer from a suitable tank (not shown) and delivers it through a pipe 29 into a liquid manifold 30 extending across the top of a plate 31 located beneath the rotor 20 and extending the full length thereof between the side plates ill and 12;. On its forward edge, the plate 31 is provided with a pick-up blade 32 which forces the soil and aggregate in the windrow 33 up into engagement with the rotor 20.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rotor 20 includes a pair of end plates 35 and 36, which are secured to the axle 21 and held in spaced relation by axially extending channels 37 spaced about the periphery of the rotor. On the outer face of each channel is mounted a plurality of angles 38, which are inclined with respect to the plane of revolution of the rotor as shown in Fig. 2, and which are arranged to direct the materials encountered thereby inwardly toward the central vertical plane of the rotor, as the latter revolves. Each angle has secured thereto an upstanding plate or blade 39 for cutting and agitating the materials being treated. The rotor may, if desired, be reinforced at intervals by means of disks 40 welded to the channels 17.

The liquid stabilizer delivered to the manifold 30 is delivered onto the top of the plate 31 through an orifice 45 (Fig. 4) provided'between the forward edge of a pivoted plate 46' and the top surface of the plate 31. The plate 46 is hinged at its rear edge along the front edge of the liquid manifold 30, and its front edge is biased into contact with the top surface of plate 31.. Accordingly, this plate 46 is normally closed, but is adapted to be opened by the liquid stabilizer which is delivered under sufficiently high pressure to open said plate for said liquid stabilizer to be ejected. When the liquid stabilizer is not being delivered, the plate will remain closed; The biasing of the plate is obtained by a spring or springs. A plurality of bolts 4'7 are spaced apart lengthwise f the plate 46, each bolt projecting through said plate and extending into a tubular socket 51 mounted in the plate 31 and a bottom plate One end of the tubular socket 51 is closed by a washer 52 secured therein and centrally perforated for the bolt 47 to project therethrough. A relatively strong spring 50 is interposed'between washer 52 and another washer 53, slidable Within the socket, and adapted to be compressed to the desired degree by nut 49. The bottom end of the tubular socket is preferably closed by a plug 54 screwthreaded to the socket. This spring 50 typifies any suitable means for biasing the plate 46 into closed position against the top surface of plate 31,'but adapted to be opened bythe liquid stabilizer delivered through the manifold under pressure to be ejected through the orifice which is normally closed when no liquid stabilizer is being delivered. Accordingly, the device lends itself to dry mixing of the soil and aggregate materials without a liquid stabilizer as well as with such. When no liquid stabilizer is being delivered, the plate 46 will be kept closed to prevent the soil and aggregate materials from getting under the plate and clogging the manifold. The range of pivotal movement of the plate 46 is limited to prevent it from coming into contact with blades 39 on the rotor.

The volume of the liquid stabilizer being delivered i controlled to supply the desired amount, and the plate 46, biased to closed position, assures that whatever volume of liquid container is being delivered will be delivered at high velocity sincethe plate is opened by the pressure exerted upon it by the delivery of the liquid.

This plate 46 is preferably about one-half the length of-the plate 31 andis medially disposed between the opposite ends of said plate 31. In other words, each end of plate-46 terminates somewhat short of the end of the plate 31 which is about coextensive with the length of the rotor. Ordinarily the plate 31 is about sixty inches long, and the length of the plate 46 will be about thirty inches. Being medially disposed, each of the opposite ends of the plate 46 will terminate in from the end of plate 31 by about fifteen inches. This central disposition of plate 4'6is because the windrow of the soil and aggregate materials to be mixed with the liquid stabilizer is higher at the middle and not leveled, and hence the delivery of the liquid through the orifice is through this mid-portion where there i maximum soil and aggregate materials in the windrow. A layer of liquid stabilizer of variable thickness, depending on the volume being delivered, will be ejected at high velocity from under plate 46 and caused to flow across the top of the plate 31 where it will be swept off by the soil and aggregate materials agitated by blades 37 of the rotor. By this means, a very intimate and uniform mixture of the stabilizer liquid with the road materials is obtained.

Although I have described my invention in connection with one possible form or embodiment thereof and have used certain specific terms and language herein, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative rather than restrictive and that changes "and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In a traveling mixer for pulverizing soils and aggregates and combining a liquid stabilizer therewith, the combination of a frame, a cylindrical rotor supported on said frame for rotation about a transverse horizontal axis, and having means for moving and agitating material in the path of said rotor, means for driving said rotor, a blade extending transversely across said frame immediately beneath said rotor for directing the soils and aggregates upwardly against the periphery of said rotor, means provided with an orifice adjacent the top side of the blade for flowing a layer of liquid stabilizer across the top of said blade for admixture with the soils and aggregates as they are swept off the blade by the rotor, and a closure for said orifice biased to closed position and adapted to be opened by the liquid discharged through said orifice.

2. The mixer of claim 1 wherein the closure is springbiased to closed position.

3. The mixer of claim 1 in which the means for flowing the liquid stabilizer is a manifold extending along the top of said blade and provided with the biased closure.

4. The mixer of claim 3 wherein the orifice is disposed between the opposite ends of the blade and is of substantially less length than said blade.

5. The mixer of claim 4 wherein said orifice is formed between the forward edge of a plate closure pivoted along its rear edge on said manifold and the top surface of said blade, and said plate is biased" into contact with said blade.

6. The mixer of claim 5 including springmeans for biasing the forward edge of said plate in contact with the top surface of said blade, and screw adjustment means for tensioning the spring.

7. In a traveling mixer for pulverizing .soils and aggregates and combining a liquid stabilizer therewith, the combination of a frame, a cylindrical rotor supported on said frame for rotation about a transverse horizontal axis, and having means for moving and agitating material in the path of said rotor, means for drivingsaid rotor, a blade extending transversely"across said frame immediately beneath said rotorfor' directing the soils and aggregates upwardly against the periphery of said rotor, a manifold provided with an orifice adjacent the top side of the blade through which a liquid stabilizer is delivered across the top of said blade for admixture with the soils and aggregates as they are swept off the blade by the rotor and a closure for said' orifice which is opened by the pressure of the liquid being discharged through the orifice.

8. The mixer of claim 7 in which the orifice is formed between the, blade and the manifold.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 884,943 Murray Apr. 14, 1908 1,316,449 Jones Sept. 16, 191.9 1,729,573 Finley Sept. 24, 1929 2,090,290 Gardner Aug. 17, 1937 2,192,027 Crowder Feb. 27, 1940 2,211,262 Flynn Aug. '13, v1940 2,303,992 Frazer Dec. 1, 1942 2,311,833 Holland-Letz Feb. 23, 1943 2,781,733 Graham Feb. 19,1957 

